Wednesday, August 31, 2016

What do I do when I'm bored or need a break from what I'm doing at work (and this week that is lots of research looking for specific information) -- that would be sketching (aka doodling) new block designs. I usually use bits and pieces of paper to sketch on, but as you can see here I'll also use white boards in my office.

I hope to test this block out this weekend to see how it looks made up. Just gotta draw up the PP'd pattern for it first then I can make it.

Gratitudes:

1. Car registration is in process, 2 steps done, only the final one to go.

2. Insurance is in process of being transferred to TX and doesn't look like it will be as expensive as I feared. (Still double tho what I've been paying.)

Monday, August 29, 2016

Oh wait that was steps in the original.....lol. Altho in this case I'm feeling like it is very apt.

Putting together the top for my contest quilt has meant very carefully putting together the alternating rows of sashing and blocks so that everything goes together ok.....well it didn't work quite like I'd thought it would yesterday.....I still ended up with a boo-boo and frog-stitching on the horizon to fix it. Can you find the oops?

Planning on finding some fairy frost when I'm out row-hopping this coming weekend so I can get this finished and then get it quilted. As I look at it, I need to also replace the light green at the bottom because those sashing sections can hardly be seen, which won't work for inline voting in October. So I need two colors of the fabric yet.....if only I could get my fabric room excavated!

Gratitudes:

1. Swelling is down

2. Budget is looking better as I get closer to getting bills paid off. =)

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Finished up two test blocks for use in future months of the F2F swap that I'm a part of this year.

I used RWB fabrics and these test blocks will end up in a couple of future American Hero Quilts that I'll be putting together with the blocks I'll be receiving when it's my month to receive blocks from the F2F swap.
Gratitudes:

Saw a block design on some blog that I can't remember now, but I sketched it out so that I could take and play around with it. My intent was to not only make one for me, but to use if for some of my F2F blocks for the remaining months.

Well I've done that, but in doing so have realized that I can not PP the entire block section because I don't have paper that big......lol. So I'll be PP'ing the triangular section and then adding the strips to them.

The fun part will be in "squaring" up the triangle sections to the block.

Gratitudes -
1. Unexpected checks in the mail.

2. Insurance here is active on 9/1....I'll be able to get in and see someone about the platelets and the itching and edema that is driving me crazy.

Monday, August 22, 2016

Things are finally getting together enough that I can start to think about sewing again.

First thing tho that needs to be worked on is my quilt for the Modern Quilts design contest. Last night I laid out the blocks and sashing sections. And confirmed what I'd been thinking - at least the yellow set (far right, bottom) has to be remade because you can't even tell what color was used. Now to figure out where the tote with the fairy frost fabrics is.......

Still working on a name for the quilt and thinking I want something that gives a hint of Star Trek since the PP'd sashing units unintentionally came out very similar to the communicator badges on the show. Maybe something like "Quilting.....the Last Frontier". Any other ideas for a name?

Gratitudes:

1. I have multiple ways to get to work - a good thing when traffic on the freeway is at a standstill like this morning.

I'm finally digging out from under at least some of the many boxes and totes that I moved (and that the mover who loaded the truck griped about...but that's another nightmare all together).

The kitchen is pretty well in shape. Just need the maintenance man to get his tail out here and re-key the storage room so i can move boxes out there that need to be gone through. There are at least 4 of kitchen stuff that I don't have room for. The boxes that can be seen in the kitchen and the ice chest all need to go out into the storage unit that I can't get into because it didn't get rekeyed and they didn't give me a key for. =(

The boxes you see at the far end are in what is officially the Dining Room....but I'm using as my living room. Most of those boxes are books or papers. All of which have been in storage the last 10 months and I need to go thru!

Next up is the living room, which I'm using as my sewing room. About 80% of it is done. Have stuff I need to put into the recycle barrel but have about run out of room till it's emptied this week. Which of course means that i need to figure out what day of the week that happens on. Other boxes need to go outside to the storage room as well till I can figure out what to do with the contents of said boxes.

East wall has my desk which has my computer and the sewing machine. Also there so I have them in mind are the pics where I'm keeping track of the bills as I work to pay them off.

On the west side of the room is my wooden bookcase and one of my 'regular' book case. In the bottom left of this pic you can kinda see the wooden cart the woods class built for me last semester. This is what I'm using as a cutting table.

Next up are a couple of shots of my "fabric room". =) The first one gives you an idea of what it was like through all of it when everything was unloaded from the moving van. I count myself fortunate because the totes were / are only 4 high.....last move they were stacked to the ceiling and were over my head. It was interesting to try to safely move the big totes that were an arms length above my head! This time it is just a matter of shifting them around and room-to-room.

In this shot you can see the east side of the room where I'm starting to make some progress. All of the xerox boxes will go along that wall, but to do that I have to first "excavate" it. That is happening slowly.

The totes will go along the south wall and down the middle of the room. The west wall has a chest. North wall will have another set of metal shelves most likely.

Gratitudes:

1. Nothing was broken in spite of the mover's best attempt at lousy loading of the moving van.

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Time here in Wyoming is running out.......From having had 6 weeks after getting back from the 3 week trip, it just doesn't seem possible that there is only 2 days left here before hitting the road down to Texas. Where does the time go? Loading the truck happens tomorrow and then we leave (my parents who are driving the moving van and myself) Tuesday morning.

The biggest news (other than my progress in getting things done) is that I now have a place to move into as of this week and utilities are scheduled to be turned on. I pick up the keys this coming Friday. Am sooooooooooo looking forward to having a bigger place to live in (new one is 1300 sq ft, this apt is only 800 sq ft). Will I get it all in? Time will tell.

Miscellaneous1. Start getting boxes out of storage room and to Apt- DONE!
2. Email with realtor about rental possibilities - DONE - And lease application submitted and accepted!
3. Turn in address change at PO - DONE
4. Arrange for utility turn-on after getting rental house - DONE!5. Arrange for Internet turn on - Not Done!6. Leave note with new address, key and lock in storage unit- To done after the truck is loaded and everything is out of the unit.7. Call Storage Unit to let the mgr know I've emptied it- To done after the truck is loaded and everything is out of the unit.

Rooms to Pack:
1. Bathroom - DONE
2. Kitchen - 95% done, only the stuff going in the ice chest or in the trash yet to do
3. Pantry - DONE!
4. Sewing Room - 95% done, just the stuff going in the car with me still to do
5. Living Room - DONE!

Chores:

1. Clean bathroom - DONE!
2. Email Ann - Still not done
3. Finish cleaning floors - Still not done 'cause I can't see the floors....lol....
4. Clean baseboards- Not started
5. Clean Window Sills - DONE!
6. Clean Windows - DONE!
7. Clean Refrigerator - 95% Done, just need to finish cleaning the food out of it that won't either be eaten or taken with me in the ice chest
8. Vacuum - To done after the truck is loaded and everything is out of the apt.
9. Sweep Storage Unit - To done after the truck is loaded and everything is out of the unit.Sewing/Quilting

1. Make at least 15 scrub tops to send to customer - Sent 14 tops off this week, making a total ot 25 that I've delivered to her this summer (including the 11 back in June)2. Turn in Row-by-row quilt for prize (turn in Wy or TX)- DONE!3. Make the 54 'petal' units needed for the sashing on the final Mod Quilts quilt top- DONE! But I think I'm going to redo one of the sets of 3 in a different color because I don't like how it turned out.4. Make the final quilt for Mod Quilt Contest - Ran out of time to start putting the top together.5. Make backings and bindings for quilt tops for Sunshine - DONE! And mailed off to a quilting angel
6. Work on flag block sections - DONE! Flag blocks are complete....now to finish using the remaining orphan pattern sections.Gratitudes:

1. God's provision of a place to live this week - fast acceptance of the lease application and quick work on utility turn-on scheduling

2. For my time here in Wyoming and all that has meant, and for this new direction that God is opened up for me.

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

For the first time in all of my moves, and that's a lot of them over the years. Umm, wondering how many moves - '95 - Phoenix to Boston, '97 - Boston to Phoenix, 2006 - from an apt to a house in Phoenix, 2006 - 3 months later Phoenix to Boston, 2007 - Boston to Rowlett and Phoenix to Rowlett, 2009 - Rowlett to Garland, 2010 - Garland to Lafayette, 2012 - Lafayette to Fort Wayne, 2015 - Fort Wayne to Rawlins, and now 2016 Rawlins back to the Garland area. Gee, I wonder why I've been told I've got to have Gypsy blood in me?

I'm actually almost totally packed and several days early for a change. A little more in the sewing room area here, about a boxful in the kitchen and pantry and I should be about done except for getting together the stuff that needs to go into my car and finishing getting the makings for picnic lunches for the days we'll be driving.

And being almost done this early, means that I can sew without feeling guilty about it. =) So I've been working on the PP'd units that I need for the setting I've designed to use in putting together the blocks that I made for the Modern Quilts Block Design Contest the past year. I need 54 of these units in multiple colors and groups of either 4 or 3 per color. I now have 15 done, so i'm making progress on them. =)

I also put together a snack mat earlier in the day with one of my finished cross stitch pieces. I couldn't resist the little fox and actually counted the stitches from a picture. The fabric on the right was one that I found while out shopping one day and thought the two would go together nicely.

Gratitudes:1. The lease application for a rental townhouse that I've turned in has been processed and should be submitted to the owner as of today. Hopefully, I'll hear back tomorrow with a decision on whether I get it or not.

2. Found a company to load my truck here in Rawlins, and am hoping friends from church will be able to help unload it in TX.

I finished quilting and binding my row-by-row quilt the middle of last week. And this week when I was in Cheyenne decided to take a chance on being able to turn in the quilt there for the prize for finishing first (at a participating shop). And as it happened, I was the first to turn on in at the quilt store there that I always shopped at. My quilt will hang in the store till the middle or end of September, and then they will ship it to me.

the prize for being the first was 25 FQ's and I was able to go pick whatever I wanted to. =) So much fun to "shop" for them.

Gratitudes:
1. A friend has offered to let me stay with them for a short while if I have not been able to find a place to live before getting to Texas.

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This is Me

I've been quilting and sewing for more than 45 years. I love to design quilts and quilt blocks, and for the life of me can't follow patterns if I had to. Give me a picture though of what is wanted and I can figure out how to make it without a problem. I always have more than one project going at a time and do a lot of donation work for Sunshine quilts and American Heroes.
I also do a commissioned quilting and sewing for others.